Showgirls (1995)

Nomi, a young drifter, arrives in Las Vegas to become a dancer and soon sets about clawing and pushing her way to become the top of the Vegas showgirls.

Director:

Paul Verhoeven (as Jan Jansen)

Writer:

Joe Eszterhas

Stars:

Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon

10 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Elizabeth Berkley	...	Nomi Malone
Kyle MacLachlan	...	Zack Carey
Gina Gershon	...	Cristal Connors
Glenn Plummer	...	James Smith
Robert Davi	...	Al Torres
Alan Rachins	...	Tony Moss
Gina Ravera	...	Molly Abrams
Lin Tucci	...	Henrietta 'Mama' Bazoom
Greg Travis	...	Phil Newkirk
Al Ruscio	...	Mr. Karlman
Patrick Bristow	...	Marty Jacobsen
William Shockley	...	Andrew Carver
Bobbie Phillips	...	Dee
Dewey Weber	...	Jeff
Rena Riffel	...	Penny / Hope

Storyline

All alone in the world, Nomi Malone, making her way to Las Vegas, is determined to make a name as a dancer while putting her unspoken past behind her. Her tough, streetwise veneer is not as infallible as she would like, she, as she arrives in Vegas, becoming more cautious in the way she approaches strangers who seem willing to help her purely out of the goodness of their heart. Her talent and connections in combination are only able to get her a job at the Cheetah Club, a strip joint. Her first true friend in Vegas, Molly Abrams, works as the costumer for Goddess, the topless production at the Stardust. It is through Molly that Nomi catches the eye of Goddess' headliner, Cristal Connors. Nomi has a love/hate feeling toward Cristal: she doesn't much like her but wants to become her. Being at the Stardust, Nomi also catches the eye of Cristal's boyfriend, Zack Carey, Stardust's entertainment director. Through these contacts, Nomi is presented opportunity after opportunity to be part of ...

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Plot Keywords:

stripper | lap dancing | female nudity | striptease | showgirl | 

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Taglines:

The most controversial movie of the year is here.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for nudity and erotic sexuality throughout, and for some graphic language and sexual violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Paul Verhoeven and Joe Eszterhas did about fifty extensive interviews with real-life Las Vegas strippers, showgirls, producers, choreographers and casino owners, and incorporated parts of their stories, characters and use of language in the screenplay, to show the amount of exploitation of strippers in Las Vegas. Some of them were interviewed by magazines after the movie's premiere, and completely reversed their stories, maintaining that the movie did not depict their lives accurately. However, Verhoeven is quoted as saying that this is still the most realistic movie about contemporary America that he ever made.

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Goofs

After Nomi's friend is raped at the party, she's in the hospital where the doctor reveals that she's had vaginal tearing, then after he leaves Nomi tries to call the police to report it and Zack stops her. But the police should have already been notified by the hospital as is standard procedure with suspected sexual assault victims.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Jeff: Hop in, pard!
Nomi Malone: Where are you going?
Jeff: Vegas! Come on! This is your lucky day!

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Alternate Versions

When the film aired on VH1, any nudity especially during the stage performances and sex scenes, were digitally painted over to match skin tones or previous articles of clothing that covered those areas. The heavily altered VH1 broadcast version credits "Jan Jansen" as director.

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Connections

Referenced in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Not, I Barbecue (1995)

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Soundtracks

Let's Get Together
Written by John Pro, Octoviano Silva and Jim Archer
Performed by SF Spanish Fly
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc. / Upstairs Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

The cinematic definition of "so bad it's good"...

I adore this movie. No, really, I do. If I were rating it solely on my fondness for it, I would easily give it a 9 or a 10. On the other hand, if I were going to judge this movie solely on its merits as "worthy" cinema--story, acting, technical prowess--it would rate a 1 or 2 stars at best.

So, what the hell, I split the difference.

First, let me tell you why I hate this movie. It doesn't work as soft-core porn--the sex scenes are either disturbing, degrading, or just plain silly (or even all three at once). It doesn't work as social commentary--we already knew show business was full of back-stabbing bitches and controlling bastards, so what's new here? It certainly doesn't work as a cautionary tale, though God knows it does its best in places. Indeed, this movie is so full damn of itself it's in danger of exploding like Mr. Creosote in "The Meaning of Life". Either that, or it feels ready to spontaneously condense into a microscopic black hole of sheer pretentiousness.

So what does this movie work as? ENTERTAINMENT! All it takes to love this movie is to know, going in, that none of the characters are likable, you're going to be subjected to a lot of oh-my-gosh-my-golly nudity and naughtiness, and that--most importantly--none of this has any bearing on anything remotely resembling reality. Showgirls takes place in its own little universe of sheer, joyous exploitation for its own sake. And this it does admirably well.

And, after all, isn't entertainment what movies are for? This is a great movie to watch with your friends. Google for a Showgirls drinking game and do tequila shots. You'll be hammered before you know it.

Details

Country:

France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 September 1995 (USA)

Also Known As:

Showgirls

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,112,627, 24 September 1995

Gross USA:

$20,350,754

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,350,754

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carolco Pictures, Chargeurs, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min 131 min (NC-17)

Sound Mix:

DTS-Stereo Dolby SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1